Fire ruins trailer in Bluffs

COUNCIL BLUFFS — A weekend fire at Council Bluffs Stadium destroyed an office trailer and damaged a separate storage facility that held field maintenance equipment.

The stadium is owned by the Council Bluffs Community School District and is located near Wilson Middle School and the city-owned Pirate Cove Water Park.

Council Bluffs Fire Marshal's Office Investigator Dan Busch said the fire started in the office trailer and was reported shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

The blaze also damaged equipment and supplies in the nearby storage shed, including two John Deere mowers, a front-end loader, a Gator utility vehicle, a walk-behind mower and a number of blowers and weed eaters, as well as painting equipment and supplies.

School district estimates placed the damages at more than $100,000, although insurance estimates are not yet available.

Busch said the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but he said it appeared suspicious in nature.

"We are asking the community to help us out," Busch said. "We are asking for information from anyone who might have seen someone in the area."

A $15,000 reward is available through the Arson Hotline at 800-532-1459.

Friday's football game between Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson will go on as scheduled at the stadium.

Buildings and grounds foreman Joseph Smith said anything damaged in the storage shed that will be needed for the game — number markers and pylons — have already been ordered and should be received by Wednesday. New parts were purchased Monday for the damaged paint machine, and any additional equipment needed will be borrowed.

"We'll do our best to have everything 100 percent cleaned up," Smith said. "We don't want to divert attention away from the game, which is where the attention should be Friday."

Dennis Friend of the World-Herald News Service contributed to this report.